Can opener for tear strip type of cans



Nov. 26, 1957 F. s. ROMERO cm OPENER FOR TEAR STRIP TYPE OF CANS Filed June 27, 1955 Bmsentor (Ittornegs.

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United States atent CAN OPENER -FOR TEAR STRIP TYPE OF CANS Forrest S.'R0mero, Salt Lake City, Utah Application June 27, 1955, Serial N0.'518,028

10 Claims. (Cl. 220-52) This invention relatesto can openers of a type adapted for cans equipped with tear strips.

Many food products, particularly cofiee, shortening, and certain meats, are packed in cans possessing tear strips and sold with keys attached for manually removing the tear strips by a winding action of the key.

Wall-attached, rotary can openers are in common use for opening the ordinary type of tin can, but there has not been developed heretofore a commercially successful can opener of similar type for handling the special, tear strip type of can.

The greatest difficulties encountered in the development of such a can opener have been achieving adequate securement of the tear strip starting tab of a can by the rotary working mechanism of the opener and effecting dislodgement of the coiled tear strip from such rotary working mechanism following its removal from the can.

A principal purpose of this invention is to provide a rotary, tear strip removing, can opener which may be attached to a wall and operated as so attached in a manner similar to rotary can openers presently in :common use, such can opener being simple in construction, easy to use, positive in operation, and presenting no problem of can engagement or of removed tear strip dislodgemeut.

An important feature of the invention vresides in an arrangement for slightly expanding component sections of a split winding post, while tightly wedging the free starting tab of the tear strip of a tin can therebetween, and for pushing-the coiled, removed strip from its position encircling the winding post, while relieving the wedged securement of such tab and permitting the split post to assume its normal diameter.

.Furtherobjects and :features of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description of the particular preferred embodiment illustrated by way of example inthe accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the can opener with a can engaged thereby preparatoryto being opened by rotation of the handle of the opener;

Fig. 2, a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

.Fig. 3, a similar view taken on the line 3-3 ofFig. 2;

Fig. 4, a horizontal section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5, an enlargement of that portion of Fig. 3 encircled bythe broken line 5;

Fig. 6, a similar .view taken .after the greater part of the strip has .been removed from the can; and

Fig. 7, a view similar to Figs. 2 and 3, but taken after both .can ,and coiled strip have been removed from the opener; and

Fig. 8, a vertical section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing:

In the form illustrated, the can opener of the invention is adapted to'ib'eremovably secured to a wall bracket for .usetin a man-ner corresponding to conventional gcan ;openers of rotary type. For this purpose, the working mechanism of the can openeriis operably mounted at one end of..a bracket plate or frame 10, whose opposite end is constructed and arranged for temporaryand preferably I frame 10 for direct insertion in receivingfixture .11.

rotatable securement in a permanently mountedwall fixture 11.

Thus, the can opener of this invention is adapted for use in a manner which has come to be regardedas conventional.

The working mechanism of the can opener comprises a tubular post 12, which, in this instance, depends from fixed securement within and passing through a hub member 13a of an operating crank 13. Such hub member 13a is journaled in the end of bracket plate or frame 10. Thus, both the hub and the tubular post are rotatable relative to its supporting bracket.

The tubular post 12 has an elongate projecting end portion 12a, which is split, preferably diametrically as shown, throughout the greater part of its length ,to provide a receiving slot 15 for the reception of the starting tab 16 of the tear strip 17 of a tear strip type of tin can 18.

Fitted snugly in the hollow interiorof tubular post v12 for sliding movement therewithin and therealong is an elongate rod 19, having an elongate notch 20 formed adjacent that end thereof which slides Within and along the split end 12a of thepost 12, see particularly Fig. 7, and having a handle knob 21 at its opposite end. A limit stop in the form of a crossbar 22 is provided at the deep end of the notch 20 for abutment against the portion of post 12 which defines the end of slot 15, thereby limiting the extent to which the rod 19 may be telescoped inwardly of the hollow interior of the post 12 and preventing rotation thereof.

The elongate notch 20 deepens gradually, from its .end corresponding to theopen slot end .of the split ,post .12 toward and up to its deep end, where it preferablyterminates abrutly, thereby providing an inclinedplane type of wedge surface 23 adapted to act upona received, tear strip starting tab to wedge it tightly againsttheopposing slot defining faces 24 of split post 12 and particularly those longitudinal edges 25 thereof which extend marginally of the hollow interior of the .post, .see particularly Figs. 4 and 6.

For use, it is desirable that thebracketplateor frame 10 extend horizontally, and that .the projecting portion 12a of split post .12 be directed downwardly underneath such plate or frame. However, inasmuchas itis easier to insert the tear strip starting tab of a caninto the split post if the latter is in horizontal position, it is preferred to rotatably secure amountingpiece 27 to bracket-plate or In this manner, the entire can opener may be conveniently turned relative to fixture 11 into the desired horizontal, working position of Fig. 1 following appropriate insertion thereinto of a can to be opened.

Given the convenient positioning (not shown) of "the can opener as explained above, with splitvpost l-2 extending horizontally, the can 18 is held with its longitudinal axis horizontal and with the'starting tab 16 of tear-strip 17 in position for insertion-flatwise into the notch 2020f plunger rod 19. Knob .21 of the plunger ,rod is then grasped with one hand and steadied .while the can .is being held with the other .and manipulated for the insertion of starting tab 16 into the deepest partrofnotch 20 with its edge abutting against the abrupt end 10f the notch. Pushingof thecan toward bracket lplatetorframe 10 until its top abuts againstrtheundersurfacesof-the latter serves to push plunger rod 1 9 into-a position Where pull exerted on knob 21 will securely wedge starting ,tab,1;6 between the plunger rodand the split post :12, rasshown in Figs. 1-5. .Handle knob 21 is releasedrat this ,point, and both the openerand .the-can-are rotated to theposition showni-n Fig. l.

The can .is opened by [rotating ,crank 13 .in -the ,prop,er

direction to .windtear .strip 1 7 about the louter-dreamference of split post 12 in the manner shown in Fig. 6, thereby forcibly removing such tear strip from the can in approved fashion similar to the conventional key action.

It will be noted, see particularly the exaggerated show ing of Fig. 5, that the wedging action on starting tab 16 slightly spreads the split sections of post 12 apart, note 26, and that the tear strip 17 is wound or coiled about the split post, Fig. 6, in such slightly expanded condition of the latter. Accordingly, when the tear strip 17 has been completely removed from the can 18 and such can has been lowered and removed from manually supported position at the termination of the opening action, the coiled tear strip remaining on the split post 12 is quickly and easily ejected from such split post by merely pressing down on knob 21 and restoring it to the position of Fig. 7.

Ejection of coiled tear strip 17 from its position on split post 12 is facilitated by the fact that, as downward pressure on plunger rod 19 exerts downward pressure on starting tab 16, not only the. wedged securement of starting tab 16 is released, but the split sections of post 12 are permitted to spring back to their original positions, thereby reducing the effective diameter of such post and restoring it to its original condition. Given the resulting differential between the inside diameter of the coiled tear strip 17 and the outside diameter of the split post 12, such coiled tear strip 17 easily slips free of post 12 which it encircles.

Receiving fixture 11 is nothing more than the usual wall-secured plate provided with mutually spaced, downwardly convergent, opposing, slideway channels 30, Fig. 1, for the reception and secure anchoring of the mounting end of any canopener of the general type concerned. Thus, the can opener of the invention can be used interchangeably with conventional can openers of this general type, so far as the permanently mounted wall fixture is concerned.

The mounting piece 27 is configurated for insertion into the slideway channels of the wall fixture 11 in the customary manner, and is rotatably secured to mounting arm a of bracket plate or frame 10 as by means of a pivot pin 31, which is preferably placed 011 center, as indicated, for the sake of stability of the can opener during use. A post 32 projects from the mounting piece 27 in spaced relationship with the pivot pin 31, to serve as a guide in cooperation with arcuate trackway 33 of the arm 10a and as a limit stop and anchor for hooked end 34 and for the opposite, shouldered end 35 of such trackway 33 in the can-installing and can-opening positions, respectively, of the can opener. A punched out portion 36 of arm 10a serves, in its association with pivot pin 31 and in conjunction with broad base 32a of post 32, as a friction lock in these two predetermined positions of the can opener.

It will be obvious that, should it be desired to eliminate the wall mounting feature, the portions of bracket plate or frame .10 concerned therewith may be omitted, and the remainder regarded merely as a base or supporting member for carrying the operating parts of the can opener.

Whereas this invention is here illustrated and described with respect to specific embodiments thereof, it should be realized that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims, without departing from the essential contributions which I have made to the art.

' I claim:

1. A can opener for cans of tear stn'p type, comprising a supporting member; a tubular post extending through and rotatably mounted within said supporting member, said post providing an elongate projection from at least one face of said supporting member, and said elongate projection being slottedlongitudinally from its free end and in communication with but narrower than its hollow interior for the reception of the starting tab of the tear strip of a can to be opened; a plunger rod fitted snugly into the hollow interior of said post, for reciprocatory sliding movement therealong, said rod having an elongate, tab-receiving notch defined therein adjacent that end thereof which is disposed to slide along the slotted portion of said post, said notch becoming gradually shallower toward and terminating short of the said end of the rod; a handle for the plunger rod; and means for rotating said post.

2. The can opener of claim 1, wherein the supporting member is an elongate, bracket plate having the tubular post extending therethrough adjacent one end thereof, and anchorage means rotatably secured at the opposite end thereof, the rotative axis of the latter extending in parallel with the longitudinal extension of the bracket plate.

3. The can opener of claim 2, wherein the mounting means and the corresponding end portion of the bracket plate are provided with co-operative limit stop means predetermining both a vertical and a horizontal position for the bracket plate.

4. The can opener of claim 3, wherein friction locking means are provided between the mounting means and the corresponding end of the bracket plate for securing the bracket plate in the respective vertical and horizontal positions thereof.

5. The can opener of claim 1, wherein the plunger rod is rectilinear, and projects beyond the tubular post at that end thereof which lies opposite the slotted end; and wherein the handle for the plunger rod is disposed at said projecting end thereof as a stop member limiting the extent of telescopic insertion of that end portion of the plunger rod within the hollow interior of the post.

6. The can opener of claim 1, wherein limit stop means are provided between the tubular post and the plunger rod for limiting the extent of telescoping of the notched end portion of said rod within the hollow interior of the slotted end portion of the tubular post.

7. The can opener of claim 6, wherein the limit stop means include projections extending laterally from the plunger rod and within the slotted area of the tubular post for sliding movement therealong to prevent rotative movement of the rod relative to the post and to abut against the closed end of said slotted area.

8. The can opener of claim 1, wherein the means for rotating the post is a crank secured in fixed relationship therewith.

9. A can opener for cans of tear strip type, comprising a supporting member; a tubular post extending through and rotatably mounted within said supporting member, said post providing an elongate projection fromv at least one face of said supporting member, and said elongate projection being slotted longitudinally from its free end and in communication with but narrower than its hollow interior for the reception of the starting tab of the tear strip of a can to be opened; a plunger rod fitted snugly into the hollow interior of said post, said rod and said post being slideable one relative to the other, and said rod having an elongate, tab-receiving notch defined therein adjacent that end thereof which is correlated with the slotted portion of said post, said notch becoming gradually shallower toward and terminating short of said end of the rod; means for sliding the said one of the rod and post relative to the other; and means for rotating said post.

10. The can opener of claim 9, wherein the supporting member is an elongate, bracket plate having the tubular post extending therethrough adjacent one end thereof, and anchorage means rotatably secured at the opposite end thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,693,897 Johnson et a1. Nov. 9, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 334,038 Germany Mar. 9, 1921 850,255 France Sept. 4, 1939 

